Tools for Mobility in a World Beyond Oil


	Efficiency of Transportation Alternatives

Many forms of transit are much less efficient than commonly believed. Rail and bus transit systems make many stops, requiring re-acceleration of massive vehicles which weigh at least 10X more than the passengers. (A bicycle, by contrast, is a small fraction of the cyclist's weight).
This applies as well to the electric vehicle. Even though its motor is much more efficient than the internal combustion engine, it still weighs as much as (and potentially more than) a fueled vehicle.
Combining fuel-to-wheel efficiency (10%-20%) and passenger/vehicle weight (1/10), an automobile, train or bus is likely to be on the order of 10%-20% ÷ 10 = 1%-2% efficient. And this is the state of the art in the 21st century?
Move less mass!^™

Mode Load (#pass) BTU's /mile Watt-hours /mile FTE^* Gas mpg Diesel mpg km/liter

Podcars 1.57 433 127 12.0 264.4 321.0 136.4

Vanpool 6.10 1,322 389 36.6 86.6 105.1 44.7

Motorcycles 1.20 1,855 546 51.3 61.7 74.9 31.8

Rail, Amtrak 20.50 2,650 780 73.3 43.2 52.5 22.3

Rail, Transit (light & heavy) 22.50 2,784 819 77.0 41.1 49.9 21.2

Rail, Commuter 31.30 2,996 881 82.9 38.2 46.4 19.7

Air, domestic 96.20 3,261 959 90.2 35.1 42.6 18.1

Cars 1.57 3,512 1033 97.2 32.6 39.6 16.8

Personal trucks 1.72 3,944 1160 109.1 29.0 35.2 15.0

Bus, Transit 8.80 4,235 1246 117.2 27.0 32.8 13.9

Demand response (Taxi) 1.00 14,301 4207 395.6 8.0 9.7 4.1

^* FTE is Freight Train Equivalent. Long-haul freight and sea borne shipping set a "gold standard" of about 436 ton-miles per gallon of diesel.
Sources: Calculations of fuel efficiencies, DOE Energy Use, jPods

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Mode	Load (#pass)	BTU's /mile	Watt-hours /mile	FTE^*	Gas mpg	Diesel mpg	km/liter
Many forms of transit are much less efficient than commonly believed. Rail and bus transit systems make many stops, requiring re-acceleration of massive vehicles which weigh at least 10X more than the passengers. (A bicycle, by contrast, is a small fraction of the cyclist's weight). This applies as well to the electric vehicle. Even though its motor is much more efficient than the internal combustion engine, it still weighs as much as (and potentially more than) a fueled vehicle. Combining fuel-to-wheel efficiency (10%-20%) and passenger/vehicle weight (1/10), an automobile, train or bus is likely to be on the order of 10%-20% ÷ 10 = 1%-2% efficient. And this is the state of the art in the 21st century? Move less mass!^™

Podcars	1.57	433	127	12.0	264.4	321.0	136.4
Vanpool	6.10	1,322	389	36.6	86.6	105.1	44.7
Motorcycles	1.20	1,855	546	51.3	61.7	74.9	31.8
Rail, Amtrak	20.50	2,650	780	73.3	43.2	52.5	22.3
Rail, Transit (light & heavy)	22.50	2,784	819	77.0	41.1	49.9	21.2
Rail, Commuter	31.30	2,996	881	82.9	38.2	46.4	19.7
Air, domestic	96.20	3,261	959	90.2	35.1	42.6	18.1
Cars	1.57	3,512	1033	97.2	32.6	39.6	16.8
Personal trucks	1.72	3,944	1160	109.1	29.0	35.2	15.0
Bus, Transit	8.80	4,235	1246	117.2	27.0	32.8	13.9
Demand response (Taxi)	1.00	14,301	4207	395.6	8.0	9.7	4.1

^ FTE is Freight Train Equivalent. Long-haul freight and sea borne shipping set a "gold standard" of about 436 ton-miles per gallon of diesel.* Sources: Calculations of fuel efficiencies, DOE Energy Use, jPods